International Create Challenge (Aug 30 - Sept 20, 2017)

Turn your idea into a start-up

ICC'2017 registration is closed

Switzerland is among the leading innovative countries, with her universities, research institutions and engineering schools ranking among the best in the world. This creates a natural breeding ground for start-up activities. However, the lack of a comprehensive program that combines training, mentorship and early stage investment stalls the progress of technology start-up creation. International Create Challenge intends to address this gap by facilitating start-up/ spin-out creation within the framework of the IM2/Idiap domains of research and technologies.

APPLIED MODEL

The International Create Challenge provides the ideal breeding space and resources to drive early stage technology innovation into Minimum Viable Products and start-ups, providing top-notch coaching, seed funding and competitive prizes. The format is a free of charge, 3-week immersive program in which around 10 teams of 2 - 3 people, composed of developers, researchers, entrepreneurs and/or designers, will be engaged. The project selection is focused around the IM2/Idiap domains of research and technologies.

AWARDS

The best three teams will each receive CHF 5’000.- cash of prize money. There is also the possibility to negotiate seed funding in exchange of up to 10-15% of equity of the created company. Should one of the teams decide to create a company locally by integratig the IdeArk Incubator, additional grants will be delivered: an open access to the The Ark Incubator with in-kind support of over CHF 100,000.-, CHF 10’000.- in the form of a The Ark Scholarship and other advantages.

Positioning

The International Create Challenge wishes to accelerate the process of start-up creation. It offers a new concept in the value chain of booster programs, speeding up the time frame from the idea consolidation and the team setup to the prototype development.

Eligible research & technology areas

For ideas or projects to be eligible for the ICC, they should exploit information and communication technologies (ICT) as available within Idiap.

Research themes of the Idiap Research Institute are:

Selection process

To select candidates, teams and projects, a 2-step call will be open prior to the 3-week period of the ICC.

First step: candidates will be selected according to their skills (developer/researcher, designer and/or entrepreneur) and their motivation. There is no need to have an idea at this stage. Skilled people still in search of an idea are given the possibility to integrate a team between the 2 steps of the selection process.

Second step: the selected candidates will be judged based on the teams of 2-3 people they have to set up, as well as their project ideas which must leverage Idiap domains of research and technology portfolio to drive their codes to a minimum viable products.

Program

The International Create Challenge is a full concept which includes top-of-the-class coaching and mentoring. Every day, a different topic (IP, funding, business model, market, competitors, customers) will be discussed with professionals through short plenary sessions and face-to-face meetings.

At the beginning of the ICC'2017, the participating teams will have the opportunity to exchange with a large pool of Idiap researchers during one afternoon. This meeting provides a unique occasion to share codes and/or ideas and to get an overview of the state-of-the-art of the related domains of research.

The successful team(s) will have the opportunity to integrate the IdeArk Incubator as soon as the ICC has ended.